Definition of Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing is a great tool for writing and revision in general, especially when you’re dealing with poetry. It allows you to look at poetry in a different way than you normally would, and by doing this, it helps you gain a better understanding of the poetry. Paraphrasing is basically taking a piece of writing and rewriting it in your own words. Therefore, it’s more than just copying and pasting a sentence over and over. It’s a way of looking at something differently, and it’s a great way to understand and appreciate poetry.
What happens when you read the same poem over and over again?
Have you ever read a poem over and over again? If yes, then you might have noticed that reading the revised version of any poem makes it easier to understand the words and ideas narrated in the poem. This is a phenomenon known as paraphrasing and it can be used to help you understand difficult poetry. Paraphrasing is a form of summarizing that can help people understand and retain the themes of any text more effectively. It can also leads the readers to understand a text’s meaning more easily, especially if they don’t understand a specific part of the text.
Effective Paraphrasing Strategies
Paraphrasing is a very valuable tool in the interpretation and analysis of poems. It helps readers to focus on the author’s intentions and the real message of the poem. Below are some of the most effective paraphrasing strategies:
- Rephrasing: It refers to rewriting a sentence or a phrase in your own words.
- Summarizing: Summarizing is an advanced version of rephrasing, where you reword the whole text.
- Excerpting – Excerpting is an advanced strategy where you simply copy the most important parts of the text.
Conclusion
Thus, the purpose of a poem is to evoke emotional response. By paraphrasing, poets can make the poem more relatable and more memorable.
See Also:
Which elements are best known for helping performers memorize an epic poem?
“When I Think About Myself” by Maya Angelou
